


Sleep Walker

by OT7nightmares



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:54:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22102897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OT7nightmares/pseuds/OT7nightmares
Summary: You've always had the ability to walk in other people's dreams, but they can't see you...until someone does. Why can she see you and know you're in her dream?
Relationships: Kim Yoohyeon/OC
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

At first, all I see is the darkness that surrounds me. For a brief moment, I feel fearful thoughts seep into my mind. _Was I kidnapped? Why’s it so dark?_ The darkness starts to lighten all thanks to these little orbs hovering just a few inches from where I spot them. The orbs range in different shades of red, white, or green. Each orb is a living person experiencing a dream or a nightmare. Dreams are green, while nightmares present as red. The white ones are neither a happy dream nor a fear filled nightmare. White is more often the very start of a dream before it truly becomes a positive dream or negative nightmare. With either green or red, the shade represents the stage of a dream or nightmare. Most dreams remain a neutral shade of green while an intense nightmare is a darker shade of red. Nightmares that have just begun are typically a lighter shade of red.

Pushing myself into a seated position, I notice a field of vibrant green grass spans as far as I can see. All the orbs hover at various heights above and beyond me. I force my eyes away from the colored circles. My eyes focus on the space around me. The orbs hover in a space that is like a universe; a dark space above the grassy field with each orb mimicking a star. The closer they are, the bigger they are. Most of the closer ones are white or green, with little to no red nightmares. Some of the ones farther away are hard to distinguish, prompting me to stand up and talk a couple steps forward. _I never did fully understand this Dream Universe, even though every time I sleep this is where I end up instead of my own stereotypical dream or nightmare._

Walking through the space, I peek into some of the orbs at my level on the grass. Curiosity has already been one of my traits. Anytime I pass an orb, I look into it. My steps pause while my eyes pause on a light green orb hovering higher in the sky. Stepping back a few feet, I lift my foot as if to walk up steps. I look down at my foot as these small hexagonal pieces appear, connecting to each other. They create a step under my foot. Once that foot is safely on the solid step, I lift my other foot up and do the same thing. The hexagon pieces appear, forming a second step. As I step up, the pieces create more steps. When my feet are gone from a previous step, those pieces split apart, passing by my feet on both sides before forming where I’m about to step. I smile at the movie that plays on the orb. _It’s feels like I’m watching a movie when looking at the dream or nightmare in the orbs. Almost like the orb itself is a screen._ A guy runs across the ‘screen’. He looks behind him as a young child runs after him. The child’s face appears in the view, smiling wide as she laughs. Between the two glimpses of their faces, I would suspect their father and daughter. I smile at the dream before turning back around and descend. Again, the pieces form steps to descend on.

As I walk back on flat ground, I notice most of the orbs are light green with various happy dreams. Usually, I pause at each one, but this trip I decided to venture past the closest orbs and see what ones were further out. I reach some of the orbs hovering further from where I was. These ones out here are surprisingly darker in shade, and are also red. I go to the nearest red one, well it’s more of a burgundy. With being so close, I take notice of the lack of symbol on the orb. Most orbs will have one or more symbols that are important to the dreamer. I don’t know much about it, but it helps to identify them usually. _Weird._ Peering into the nightmare, I see a girl lying on a bed, back facing towards me. She has a fluffy, thick comforter held to her neck. Hands are tightly clenched in the fabric. On the other side of the bed, there’s a window with curtains. Flashes behind them make me think of lightning. This suspected lightning illuminates the room for only seconds before it’s cast back into darkness. I watch the girl turn, facing me this time. From what I can see, she has bags under her eyes as if lacking proper sleep. A whimper comes from the girl as she sits up. Her chest moves rapidly as she breathes much swifter than is normal. She closes her eyes, pressing her palms against them. Her shoulders shake with uncontrolled sobs.

Watching the girl cry saddens me, but hearing her sobs pull at my heart. My chest tightens as I hear her sniffle in an attempt to stop crying, but the fight fails and she’s sobbing again. I reach out, wanting to help her through whatever is causing her such distress. Closing my eyes, I want to turn away and forget about this girl, but even behind my eyelids I still see her shaking shoulders and hidden eyes. _I have to help! Whoever she is, she’s hurting._ My eyes snap open just as my hand reaches the orb. _I could be the only one that knows. I have to do something._


	2. Chapter 2

Following the moment, I touched the crying girl’s orb, I proceeded to wake up. To say I was mad would be an understatement. It’s bothered me all day. I just wanted to go into her Dream World and comfort her. I don’t even know if it’s possible to enter someone else’s Dream World. Never had such a pull to try. After I woke up, I couldn’t get back to sleep, thanks to having to be at work about an hour later. Unlike most people, I work at night and sleep during the day. Due to this, most of the Dream Worlds that I see are of people in different time zones, or they have a similar schedule to me. Usually it’s the former.

Work is never anything special. As a security guard for a nuclear station, I have to be at work, which I’ve only ever called out because I was actually dying. A drunk driver hit my motorcycle on the way to work. I won’t go into details of the accident, but I was out of work for over a month while healing. That was almost two years ago. Since then, I’ve never even been late to work. Typically, the security guards work twelve-hour shifts, but work up to eighteen when needed.

Anyway, work ended hours ago, and as usual, I sit at home, watching the latest episode of Criminal Minds. I’ve always loved the show and trying to profile the Unsub is part of the enjoyment. Any kind of crime show has held my interest, even if some of them were more dramatic then I prefer. Other than the crime shows, I tend to watch a lot of documentaries and How It’s Made episodes. If I’m not watching that, then I’m playing video games like Mass Effect, Battlefield, Star Wars ( _Includes watching the movies!_ ), and any kind of fantasy RPG. As for books, I tend to read the Sci-Fi genre like Ender’s Game or Cinder. Lastly, I sleep. No games, no books, no TV. Sleep is my go-to “hobby”. I try to sleep during the day even on my off days that way I can keep a schedule.

Speaking of sleep, I’ve finally calmed down enough from work to fall asleep. And as per usual, I wake up in the Dream Universe. I start to walk forward after I get up off the grass. My eyes glance at each orb long enough to decipher whose dream it is. After twenty-three years of traversing the Dream Universe, I’ve figured out how to navigate this place. For the most part, I know roughly where I am. I look up at the orbs that are too far to distinguish nightmare from dream. They shine brightly against the darkened background of space. It took me until recently to notice that those orbs mimic the constellations. I used to lay on the roof of my childhood home and stare up at the night sky. It was back then that I noticed the orbs in the sky were positioned exactly the same as the real night sky. After that, I spent much of my high school life learning constellations and what they looked like. Then, at night when I slept, I spent my time in the Dream Universe searching for any of the same constellations. Many constellations were noticeable year-round in the real night sky; these were Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Draco, Ursa Major, and, Ursa Minor. Depending on the season in the real world, some other constellations would appear in the Dream Universe sky. It all depended on the real world and what was visible at that time of year.

With this knowledge of constellations, I’m able to locate the general area the crying girl’s orb was in. The location isn’t exact, but with the general area narrowed down to around the size of half a football field, that’s a lot more manageable than the giant search area that it would’ve been. _This place is so freakin big_. I start looking at the orbs, taking in the symbols on each of the orbs. A few years ago, I started noticing the symbols on the orbs. They vary from guitars, to pens, badges, whatever I can think of, it could be on an orb. After seeing them, it started to help me in identifying dream worlds I’ve been in before. Sometimes I come across places that I really don’t want to visit again.

After what seems like hours, I stop looking into the orbs and fall onto the grass, back resting against the ground. I let my eyes lazily drift between the orbs around me. _This is what I get for thinking I could find her Dream again. It was pure coincidence last time_. A groan escapes my lips. “Seriously? Can’t you help me out just once, Universe?” I angrily spit out. Not expecting a reply, I shut my eyes, hands behind my head as support. _This is such bullshit! Why show me her dream and get my hopes up to help, but then take it all away? Fuck you, Universe!_ I lift my hand, slamming it to the ground in anger.

A blinding light flashes in front of my closed eyes. It’s bright enough to blur my vision even though my eyes are closed. When I open them to see, everything’s blurry. After a few blinks, my eyes adjust to take in my surroundings. I fight a gasp. White walls surround me. There isn’t a lot of light, but there’s enough every few seconds when lightning outside illuminates the room for a couple seconds. In those seconds, I recognize a simply framed bed with a white comforter on it. Even more, there’s a figure lying in the bed, back towards me. My eyes widen in realization. _Oh fuck. I actuallly-Shit_. I hear a sigh from the girl. Watching her rollover, I pause, despite knowing she can’t see me. _Perk of this is when I enter Dream Worlds, they can’t see me._

“Who are you?” I hear in a scared, distressed voice. Her deep brown eyes lock onto mine.

 _Oh fuck_. “You can see me?” I stupidly ask, pointing to myself. _How-What-This isn’t-Fuck_. The girl nods. She’s sitting up now, having done so while I mentally freak out. _I need to get out of here. This is not supposed to happen_. I frown. _Wait. I took all this time to find her Dream World. Now I’m gonna freak and leave? No_.

“Uh, so who are you?” She asks again.

I take a second and close my eyes. A deep breath releases. I reopen my eyes and meet the girl’s. “Sorry. My name’s Alex. And you are…?”

The girl seems to hesitate a moment. I patiently wait, also hesitant about this. “Yoohyeon. My name’s Yoohyeon.”


	3. Chapter 3

First things first, Yoohyeon is beautiful. She has a thin body, but it doesn’t look unhealthy on her. Her hair is this silvery-gray that she really pulls off well. Her eyes seem sad, but they’re captivating. _I don’t think I even want to look away from them._ As soon as she sat up and realized I was in her Dream World, everything changed. The lightning stopped. Previously, the chill in the air that I didn’t noticed was gone, which is when I noticed it, or lack of it. So then, after normal lights in the room turned on, I got a better look at the girl I’ve been thinking of. So here I am, admiring her. Damn, she’s gorgeous. I’ve seen a lot of people through Dream Worlds, but she makes my heart feel like it’s going to beat out of my chest. I reach up, hand resting over my heart. Feeling the thump against my hand, I try to count how many times. One. Two. Three. After about a hundred, I give up. This girl might actually make my heart beat too fast and explode or something.

“So, uh, Alex…How are you here?” Yoohyeon asks, breaking me of my thoughts.

“Oh! Right,” I smile at her, noticing how she doesn’t really react. _Maybe that’s just how she is. I bet she has a beautiful smile too_. I pat my cheeks. _Focus! She’s asking questions. That’s good_. “I’ve been able to enter other people’s dreams since…” I tap my chin. “The earliest I can remember is five. While all the other kids were having nightmares, I was exploring the dreams and nightmares of everyone else. I’ve never actually had my own Dream World though…”

“Dream World?” Yoohyeon questions, turning herself on the bed to fully face me instead of just turning her head to look.

“Yeah! That’s what I call the places of people’s dream or nightmare. I call the collective of that the Dream Universe. That’s what it looks like to me. A universe with all the Dream Worlds as stars.” I shrug at my explanation. “It may not make much sense though.”

“No, I…It does, considering I’ve never seen this ‘Dream Universe’,” Yoohyeon replies. She doesn’t say anything else after that. I stand across from her, eyes taking in the room. _There’s not even a picture on the wall or anything. Well, there’s one above the bed, but it’s of a grassy field and a taller oak tree_. I frown, looking at the desk in front of the bed. Noticing the picture frame, I walk forward to the desk. My hand reaches out to the frame while my eyes look at the seven girls in the photo. One I recognize is Yoohyeon. _I knew she had a beautiful smile. What changed?_ The other six however- “Don’t touch that,” Yoohyeon’s voice is suddenly so close behind me.

“Ah, sorry,” I say, turning to face her. She already has the frame in her hands, fingers gliding across the front of it. “Friends of yours?”

“Yes,” she says, placing the frame on the desk, face down. Turning to me, she still has that frown on her face. “I think you should go.” She goes back to her bed, lying down with the comforter covering all but her head.

“Oh, yeah, okay,” I say. _I was hoping to stick around a bit longer. Guess not_. Stepping away from the desk, I take a deep breath. Without anything more than the thought _leave_ , I feel my body knocked back. The breath escapes my lips in a rush. I gasp for air, bent over as if it would help. After a moment, I stand back up and look around to see I’m back in the Dream Universe. _I hate leaving Dream Worlds like that. Always feels like a punch in the gut_. Anytime I have to pull myself from a Dream World in that manner, it never goes as smoothly as if I was waking up. I never figured that one out either.

Now that I’m back in Dream Universe again, I start to walk through, peeking into the other orbs. It helps pass the time until I wake up. Not far from where I left Yoohyeon’s orb, I spot a lighter red orb. It hovers a few yards in front of me, close enough to notice the symbol on it. The outline of a gray dream catcher rests on the orb. Over the dream catcher is the shape of a white airplane. I walk closer, staring at the orb. Once I stand in front of the orb, I look into it, watching the nightmare play out.

The view of the nightmare shows a closet with clothes hanging up on the right. At first, nothing moves, then I see a figure move. The closet is suddenly illuminated by an unseen red light from somewhere outside of the closet doors. I frown at seeing the dark brown-haired girl inside of the closet. _That’s one of the girls in the photo with Yoohyeon_. Continuing to watch, the girl looks around the closet as it appears to get smaller. The girl inaudibly screams as she pushes her way out of the closet. With the intent to enter the dream, I reach for the orb. As soon as my hand touches it, everything goes black.


	4. Chapter 4

Groaning, I stumble out of the closet. Luckily, I manage to balance myself, avoiding my face slamming into the floor. Lifting my head, I give myself a moment to scan the room. To my right is a bed with a black and white chevron patterned comforter. Beside the bed, to the left is a nightstand with a few photographs on it. Photos of the girls from Yoohyeon’s picture are in the various frames. So, this light brown-haired girl obviously knows Yoohyeon. I’ve never collectively went into dreams of people who know one another. Usually it’s spread out, not within the same dream walk. I divert my eyes away from the photos, scanning the left half of the room. There’s a window across from me then an opened door to the left of it. Did that girl run out the room? Moving forward, I peek out the door, seeing a never-ending hallway. A frown slips onto my lips as I step back and go to the nightstand. The photos are of the seven girls from Yoohyeon’s Dreamworld. Some of the photos are a few of them, some are all of them. I recognize two of them: one being Yoohyeon, of course, and the other being the girl whose Dreamworld I’m in. I reach out, fingers hovering over Yoohyeon’s form. _How is she able to know I’m there? No one else, in any Dreamworld that I’ve visited, knows I’m intruding. What makes her so special?_

Stepping away from the bed and nightstand, I slip back out the opened door. My eyes look down the hallway. “Well,” I mumble as I step out of the doorway. As my form exits the room, I feel a drop-in temperature. _What the hell? Why did it just get colder?_ My steps are silent as I walk down the hall. I glance at the walls, noting the deep blue color of them. I feel an intense emotion seep into me. The emotion is familiar and as I continue the walk, my eyes start to water. I sniffle. _Of course. Blue typically means sadness. Why’s this girl so sad?_

The hallway starts to lighten the further I walk. After another dozen or so steps, the walls are no longer blue, but white. I see a white door at the end. Unlike the other open door, it’s only slightly open. The knob mechanism that holds it closed is instead keeping it from shutting. With a slight pull, it would shut. However, I reach out, hand nudging it open.

The door slowly swings open from the push, revealing another white walled room with all sorts of medical equipment: a cardiac monitor, an IV pump, and life support equipment. My eyes immediately land on the girl with brown hair. She doesn’t move from her seat beside a hospital bed, which I recognize due to the rails on either side of it. The girl has her forehead against the mattress. I see her chest unsteadily rise and fall.

On the bed lays a familiar figure. I rush forward to the edge of the bed. Mouth open in surprise. _Yoohyeon?! Why is she?_ Before I can question further, the brunette speaks up. “Yoohyeon, please wake up. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Confused, I simply stand at the edge of the bed, eyes staring at the unmoving form of Yoohyeon. Her eyes are closed, mouth open just enough for a breathing tube. I can tell it’s a breathing tube due to the smoky film that appears when she breathes out. The white blanket on her covers from neck down, not letting me see if she’s injured in any way. Walking around to the other side of the bed, I reach out, hand resting on her shoulder. _What is this? Why is she like this? Her like this could mean anything in the brunette’s dream._ Stepping back, I look up at the dreamer. She hasn’t lifted her head since I got here, not that it would matter since she isn’t supposed to be able to see me here.

Fighting my own tears, I look once last time at Yoohyeon’s form. “I’m gonna figure this out,” I whisper, voice soft. “I’m promise.” Turning back to the door, I walk back to the hallway. _Leave._ With that though, I grit my teeth as I’m thrown out of the Dreamworld. One second, I see the hospital room and the next second, I’m looking at the room through the orb.

Now that I’m back, I drop to my knees, tears falling down my cheeks. I hiccup, trying to stop the tears from falling. _Why am I crying? I hardly even know Yoohyeon._ The tears continue to fall, leaving tracks down my cheeks. I wipe them away, only for more to appear. Closing my eyes, I take deep breaths to calm down. Once I’ve calmed down, I stand up and walk through the Dream Universe with no interest in any of the other orbs. _Since she’s able to consciously know I’m in her Dream World…could she really be in a coma? That would make sense. Her level of consciousness isn’t there in the real world, so her mind makes up for it in the Dreamworld._ My body starts to wake me up, halting the thoughts of Yoohyeon’s condition. Only one thought remains before I wake up. _Could I wake her up?_


	5. Chapter 5

After waking up, I proceed to work like a normal day. The whole process of getting a shower, putting my uniform on, and collecting the gear I’m allowed to take home, takes me about an hour. Then, I head to work. While at my job, I start to do what research I can. First, I search Yoohyeon’s name and begin to scroll through. The first page of results varies from the name meaning, it’s origin, famous people with the name- _Wait_. I scroll back to the page of famous people. Clicking on the link, I wait only a few seconds for the entire website to load. My eyes scan the list of names, only pausing to look at the photos attached. My hope starts to diminish as I see I’m nearing the end of the page. _There_!

“Kim Yoohyeon. Born January 7th, 1997 in Incheon, South Korea. She’s lead vocalist of K-pop group, Dreamcatcher,” I read off the little bio written about her. _She has a younger brother, was formerly in a group called MINX, plays video games, and knows how to play the guitar._ I go back to the search box and type in ‘Dreamcatcher K-pop group’. The results are nearly immediate in loading. Clicking the Wikipedia page, I briefly read about them, learning the members’ names. _Jiu, Sua, Siyeon, Handong, Yoohyeon, Dami. And Gahyeon. There are seven of them._ I find a few pictures of them on the page. Most of them seem to be photos of when the group first debuted. Down towards the bottom of the page, I find a recent photo of the group. _So orange haired girl is Handong._

Scrolling back up, I let my eyes scan the words on the page as I go. _Fuck._ I scroll back down a little bit to the recent addition to the page. “The group is currently on hiatus due to Yoohyeon’s medical condition. During a concert, she collapsed and was taken to the nearest hospital due to being unresponsive. Doctors were unable to diagnose what caused her to collapse and why she had yet to awaken from her comatose state.” My eyes stare at the words on the screen. _So, she really…Fuck! This is within the past few months! I have to go talk to her about this!_

The rest of the shift passes much slower than I’d like, especially after learning what I have about Yoohyeon and her idol group, Dreamcatcher. _There must be something I can do._ Upon arriving home, I strip out of my work clothes just before face-planting the bed. For once, it’s easy to succumb to sleep.

As I wake up in the dream universe, I make my way to Yoohyeon’s dreamworld orb. Once finding it, I approach it, seeing the girl lying on her bed. _I just want to help her. I’ve never encountered someone in a coma, much less someone who could see me here._ Reaching for the orb, I feel a force slam into my stomach. Bending over in pain, I feel tears prick at the corner of my eyes. I manage to straighten back up, only to see there’s a green hue to Yoohyeon’s orb. _She’s blocking me from entering. Why? I just want to ask what happened and why she’s in a freaking coma!?_

Staring at the orb, I feel my eyes water in frustration. “Why block me out, Yoohyeon!?” I yell angrily, wiping my eyes. Turning away, I search for Handong’s dream orb. Unfortunately, I don’t find it, but I do find another orb that seems promising. The orb has that nightmare red shade to it, but I can make out the gray dream catcher symbol, as well as a neon pink crown over the other symbol. _Pink…princess…Jiu?_ Reaching for the orb, I let myself get sucked into it.

Stepping out of a mirror, I catch myself on a door, only for it to swing open. My eyes catch a familiar face as she runs down the hall. I quickly get my balance before rushing after the blonde-haired girl. “Why do you have to run so fast, Jiu?” I mutter, taking short, quick gasps of air. When I catch up to the blonde, I see her looking down two hallways. She turns to go down one before quickly turning to run down the other. I groan, seeing some kind of shadow-y mass chase after the leader. As I follow Jiu around the massive mansion, the shadow starts to form a figure. The feminine figure finally catches up to Jiu, who finally stops to stare at an exact copy of herself, just with dark red hair. _What’s this…?_

Jiu stares at the figure, eyes watering. I walk around to see the figure’s face flickering between an expressionless Jiu and an angry Jiu “You left me to die!” The figure yells, voice sounding exactly like Yoohyeon, before it turns to smoke, falling over Jiu. When it dissipates, the leader isn’t there anymore.

Panic settles over me. I search all over the mansion, ignoring the burn in my thought. _I’m not actually needing to breathe here, but I tried not breathing and somehow it affected me in the real world. I had held my breath here and it made me hold my breath there. Lesson learned._ Not long after reaching the last section of the mansion, I find Jiu casually strolling through the hallway. _She must not have encountered the shadow version of herself._

Frowning, I pull myself from the leader’s dreamworld. Once I’m back in the dream universe and I’ve caught my breath, I take a seat on the grassy field. _So, let’s get this straight…Jiu feels guilt over whatever happened to Yoohyeon, who seems uninterested in anything, while Handong is hiding a secret and is afraid of revealing it, as well as missing Yoohyeon._ Looking around, I sigh and stand. My feet started moving as I lapse back into my thoughts. _Yoohyeon collapsed on stage during a concert and no doctor knows why. Could…all this guilt Jiu is feeling be related to what’s wrong with Yoohyeon?_ With this thought in mind, I search the orbs for a familiar symbol. _Both Jiu and Handong had the gray dream catcher symbol. If I find that…maybe I can find another member._

Unfortunately, the universe doesn’t seem to be in a helping mood. I’m pulled out of the dream universe as my alarm goes off. Allowing myself to sit up in my bed, I press my palms into my eyes. A light headache thumps against my temples. _What does all this mean?_ I move my hands, eyes landing on my uniform for work. _I don’t…I can’t do this._ Sending my boss an email, I explain that I’m not feeling well and will be unable to come into work for my shift. I’m not bothered too much due to my perfect attendance record, minus the accident of course. I hate lying like that, but I have to learn more. This…This isn’t just about Yoohyeon anymore. All of them are suffering and I’m…I think I’m the only one that can help them.

Forcing myself back to sleep, I use the last few hours of night in Korea to search for another dream catcher member. This time, the universe seems to bring one to me. It floats in front of me as I search the ground level. This one has a yellow kendo sword over it. I touch the orb without hesitation. As I’m sucked into the dream world, I take a calming breath. _I’ve got this._ When I appear in this one, I quite literally peel off the wall as if I was pinned there. I look around the room that surrounds me. My eyes land on Dami, who touches all the dark colored walls, pushing as if trying to find a way out. I watch her calmly search, but as she continues, her expression turns more and more desperate. She runs her fingers through medium red hair.

“Dami,” I mumble, wishing I could help her. She pauses, which causes me to think she heard me, but she jumps back as an abnormally large spider crawls through. “Fuck that!”

Dami retreats as far as she can from the spider, but more start to crawl through. Panic settles on the girl’s face as she drops to the ground, hands covering her face. I look at the grotesque spider, preparing to leave. Just before I do, I hear the spider speak.

_“ **None of you stopped your friend. You all shall suffer a similar fate.”**_

_Leave._ Appearing back in the dream universe, I stare at Dami’s orb in shock. _The spider spoke to Dami. I don’t know if she heard it, but it clearly intended for the girls to suffer. What does all this mean? I have to know._ Frowning, I feel my body wake me up from the dream universe. It’s late night for my side of the world, so I decide to wake up and attempt to find out more about Yoohyeon’s condition. Unfortunately, most of what’s posted is rumors by fans of the group. _There isn’t much to go on…perhaps it’s best I just-No, I still have work-But I won’t be able to idly go back and literally do nothing._ Decision made; I collect everything in my apartment that’s work issued.


	6. Chapter 6

No amount of research I’ve done the past several hours has brought me anything new. As my night turns day, I relax in my bed, sleep overtaking me after the stress of today. Immediately waking up after my visit to Dami’s spider escape room nightmare, I went to my job and quit. As irresponsible as that is, I feel like I had to, otherwise I was just going to get fired. When my boss asked me why I was quitting, I just told him I needed a career change. Luckily, my parents left me a hefty inheritance, so I should be fine for a while. As my body relaxes and my mind drifts to sleep, I find myself…excited at the thought of seeing Yoohyeon again, even if she blocks me form her dream world again. 

Waking up in the dream universe, I immediately go find Yoohyeon’s orb. It takes a little longer than usual, but I do find it. I see that green shimmer that stops me from going in. _Yoohyeon…_ Sighing, I stare at the orb for a moment longer then step closer, only enough that I can see Yoohyeon’s form through the orb. _I only want to help._ Turning away from the orb, I go to walk away when another orb close by catches my attention. _Another dream catcher orb? I feel like that’s all I’ve been seeing…or maybe now that I know what the symbols mean…Whatever._

The orb has that familiar gray dream catcher on it, with the red silhouette of a dancer on it. I touch the orb, letting myself get pulled into it. On the other side, I literally drop out of a tree. _What kind of dumb BS is this?!_ I stand up, brushing myself off. As I do this, I look around, only to see a figure, sitting on a tree stump. I walk around them, recognizing Sua. She stares at her legs, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. As she tries to move them, I notice how her skin looks almost…like plastic. She starts to gasp for air, drawing my attention to her. I kneel next to her, trying to figure out what’s wrong. That’s when I know the plastic sheen spreads up her body, preventing any part of her from moving. _Dolls._ Like a light switch, I realize she’s turning into a doll. Before I can try to do anything else, hands claw out of the ground, grabbing the light brown-haired girl’s legs. She tries to scream, but her mouth is plastic and doesn’t open. One of the hands claws out to reveal an arm, then a shoulder, and eventually the entire body of a person. I stare at Yoohyeon’s form, but she has a malicious smirk on her lips.

“Why didn’t you stop me, Sua-unnie?” Yoohyeon taunts.

 _What’s that even mean?!_ I retreat to the tree that I fell out of. Blinking several times, I see the dream reset itself. Sua is back on the tree stump, but no part of her appears plastic. She stares at nothing specific, eyes unfocused. “I’m sorry, Yoohyeon,” she mutters, eyes filling with tears. “I should’ve stopped you from killing it.” _What?!_ I move in closer to the second oldest of the group. She keeps muttering, allowing me to listen in. “We were gonna release it back into the woods, but then Jiu, Handong, Dami, and I got busy. By the time we came home from our schedules…you said you flushed it because it hadn’t moved in a few days…” Sua focuses on her legs. _Must be the start of the nightmare part. “_ We didn’t realize you had killed until Gahyeonie told us.” _So, this leaves Gahyeon and Siyeon to visit._

Pulling myself from that nightmare, I appear back in the dream universe. I immediately search for another orb with the gray dream catcher on it. _Come on. Come on._ Not long later, I find one. A sigh of relief releases from my mouth as I touch the orb with a mixture of orange mathematical symbols and numbers. I’m sucked into the dream world.

Stumbling forward, I catch myself on a wall. My eyes take a moment to adjust to the dark walls and minimal amount of light. _Jeez. I can barely see in here._ Footsteps alert me to someone’s approach. I spin around, eyes landing on the youngest member of the K-pop group. “Gahyeon,” I find myself whispering, sad to learn what this girl’s nightmare is.

The girl walks towards me, passing me to look at the wall behind me. I follow her, looking at the wall full of hanging telephones. _There’s a big array of these phones. Some are at least 40 years or more old. What are so many doing here?_ One of the phones starts ringing, causing both Gahyeon and I to jump in surprise. The black-haired girl searches the phones, picking them up, only for the annoying ring to continue. After about ten tries, she finds the right one. I stand next to her, listening to what’s on the other end of the line.

“You’ll be the cause of her death,” a familiar voice says. T _he spider from Dami’s nightmare!_ The voice is followed by a monotone beep. I frown, recognizing that tone. _Wait._ My eyes widen as I see Gahyeon’s eyes fill with tears. _A heartbeat monitor. This flat tone…Does this mean…Yoohyeon’s going to die??!!_ Panic settles in my chest as I feel my breaths come out in heavy, ragged gasps. My vision blurs as I drop to my knees. _All this and she’s…she’s going to die._

Anger floods my system. _I’m not losing anyone else._ I pull myself from Gahyeon’s dream. Once back in the dream universe, I stomp to where Yoohyeon’s orb was earlier. Finding it in the same spot, I reach for it. There’s interference as Yoohyeon’s block fights back against me, but I angrily slam my other fist into the orb, only to feel my body sucked into it.

“Alex, what are you doing here?” Yoohyeon says.

Looking up from my prone form on the ground, I grunt in response. She surprisingly helps me up but retreats once I’m standing. Before she can open her mouth to ask again, I answer her question. As I think about what’s happened, my voice gets louder. “I’ve spent the last…” I pause, thinking about the time frame. “I think I spent several weeks trying to find your group mates. They’ve been experiencing nightmares about Whatever The Hell Happened To You!” I glare at the girl. “I don’t really understand it,” I say, voice lowering when I see her flinch. “Jiu saw herself as a shadow monster. I think she felt raw guilt over whatever happened to you. Sua saw you clawing at her legs, preventing her from walking. You asked her why she didn’t stop you.” I pause, taking a breath. “Handong has been hiding in fear while she apologizes to you in your hospital room. Dami is trapped in a room with no way out as spiders crawl out of the fucking walls! And Gahyeon,” I pause, frowning. “She kept answering a phone, only for a voice to tell her that ‘she’s going to die’ and then all that’s on the line is the flat line of a heart monitor!” I feel the hot tears trace my cheeks. _I didn’t even realize I was crying._ My attention moves to Yoohyeon, who has tears in her own eyes. As if a pull takes me to her, I wrap my arms around her as she sobs, head on my shoulder. Her arms pull me close as she lets the tears out. _We must look a mess._

A few minutes pass as the two of us calm down. I look at the other girl, reaching up to wipe the tears from her cheeks. She speaks up, voice raw from sobbing. “Jiu found a spider at one of our concerts. She kept it in a jar, hoping to take it to the woods and let it loose. While she, Handong, Sua, and Dami went off to attend an event, I stayed home. Siyeon and Gahyeon went bowling or something.” Yoohyeon pauses, eyes getting this faraway look on them. “I’ve always hated spiders. They look weird and always move so fast.” She blushes. “They scare me.” She looks at me after a moment of staring at the ground. “I told the others that it wouldn’t move so I flushed it, but I…I actually killed it. I didn’t want to touch it, so I got a magnifying glass and held it in the sunlight.” Yoohyeon pulls away from me, laying on her bed, pulling her comforter up to her head. She hides under it, muffling her voice. I crouch next to the bed, resting my hand on top of the cover as she speaks. “I flushed it after that. Then I started to get really sick and weak. I hid it from the others, but I didn’t know that Siyeon and Gahyeon came back early and saw what I did.”

I lightly grab the covers. “Yoohyeon,” I mutter, voice soft. “I want to help you get free of its curse. I’m the only one around that can talk to you and the girls in the real world. Please. I just want to help you.”

“Why?” she asks, peeking out from a little crack between the bed and cover.

I look down at the floor, blushing. “I…I don’t know, Yoohyeon. I…I just feel like I should. There’s this…pull towards you that I feel. I don’t know what it is or means, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t forget about you.” I chuckle nervously. “I even quit my job.”

Yoohyeon throws her cover off. “You what?! Alex, you shouldn’t have done that. Especially not for me.”

I shrug. “I…I wanted to quit anyway, but never had a good enough reason. My parents left a good amount of inheritance when they died so I’m okay.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.

Shaking my head, I look at her with a soft smile. “It’s nothing that anyone could help,” I reply.

Yoohyeon nods. “So…where do we start?” She questions.

I sigh, looking behind her. “I don’t know.” My eyes narrow as I see a glowing butterfly land on the window shelf behind Yoohyeon. “What…?”

She turns around, seeing the butterfly. “Woah, I’ve never seen that here before.”

Making a note of the new development, I look back at Yoohyeon. “Do you know what hospital you’re at?”

Yoohyeon frowns, tapping her chin in thought. “I’m pretty sure the company put me in Gangnam. Uhhh…maybe…SMC Seoul, Gangnam Severance? Try those two. That’s the only two I can think of that they would put me in,” Yoohyeon answers.

“Okay. I’m going to go back and book a flight.” I see her eyes have a hopeful shine to them. _I wonder what changed her mind._ Grabbing her hands, I smile at her. “I promise…I’m going to do everything I can to fix this.”

Yoohyeon sniffles, eyes wet with more unshed tears. “Thank you, Alex…. I don’t think I’d ever have…felt hopeful again.”

Once pulling away, I smile at Yoohyeon, allowing her to see my smile before I return to the real world. At my apartment, I quickly check for the next flight from here to Seoul. The flight is set to leave in about three hours. It also says it’s between a twelve- and fifteen-hour flight so I make sure to pack headphones and a phone charger. I pack up as much as I can into two suitcases, one as a carry on and the other as a checked bag. Before I realize it, I’m on a plane, flying to Seoul.


	7. Chapter 7

Towards the latter half of my flight, I find myself dozing off to sleep. I don’t try to fight the feeling. My body relaxes against the seat, eyes close as I feel my consciousness slip into the dream world. Once in that world, I find myself in the area where I found dream catcher’s nightmares. I peek at the symbols on all the dreams, finding that familiar one after a little bit of searching. Touching the orb, I feel myself sucked into Yoohyeon’s world.

“Alex!” She exclaims from her seat on the bed.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you missed me,” I reply, going to sit on the floor next to her.

“What’re you doing? Sit here,” she says, patting the space beside her.

Nodding, I carefully sit on the bed. “This place always looks the same…Are you able to change it any?” I ask in curiosity. _I’ve never known much about the dream worlds themselves. What about lucid dreamers?_ I force myself not to follow those thoughts, knowing there’s something I have to talk to Yoohyeon about.

Yoohyeon taps her chin in thought. “Well, sometimes I can make the lightning stop or change stuff like whether it’s hotter or colder in here. That’s about it though.”

I frown. “I wish I’d have found you earlier then. Being lonely in here can’t be fun or healthy,” I mutter. Turning my head to her, I feel my eyes scan her expression. She seems happy, but as she looks at me, her expression turns to concern. “I need to tell you something…”

Yoohyeon straightens up, nodding. “What is it?”

Taking a deep breath, I launch into what’s happened in the time since I last came to her dream world. “When I was here last…I saw that butterfly. I did some research that butterflies, in most cultures, have something to do with souls. Something about it being here all of a sudden concerns me. A lot of cultures have a belief that butterflies are their ancestor’s souls visiting them.” I pause, grabbing the other girl’s hands. “I think it means that you don’t have long left.” Before she can react, I keep talking. “I intend to break you out of this curse before that happens.”

Yoohyeon stares at me in shock. “You’re saying…I might be dying?” I nod, squeezing her hands as a comfort. She closes her eyes. When they reopen, I see the tears in them. She pulls her hands from mine, standing up and distancing herself. She paces the room. “Are you…Do you really think…you can…” She faces me, expression hopeful.

I nod. “I’m confident I’ll figure it out once I get to the hospital. Hopefully, the staff can help me learn more about what’s been happening to you when your mind is here, and body is there.”

Yoohyeon nods, arms wrapping around herself. “I…Thank you, Alex. For making so much effort.”

Grinning, I feel a touch on my shoulder. I frown. “I’ve got to go now, Yoohyeon, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Yoohyeon nods just in time for me to wake up, disappearing from her dream world.

Grunting, I thank the flight attendant before leaving the plane with my carry on. I get to the luggage area, grab my bag after a few moments of waiting, then I go out of the terminal. With such an unfamiliar place, I find myself a bit overwhelmed. It does help calm me down that I know what hospital I’m going to; and it also helps that all my trips into Yoohyeon’s dream world has given me a brief knowledge into how to speak Korean. _Perks of the whole dream walking thing…If I visit one world enough, I start to learn traits. I’m not fluent in Korean, but I’m confident I can manage._

Hailing a taxi, I have the driver take me to Gangnam Severance. He seems confused as to why an American woman is going there but does a good job at not mentioning it. Once we arrive, I pay the driver and go inside. The staff don’t seem to question me when I ask for Yoohyeon’s room number. When I enter the room, I understand why. _That’s a lot of get-well flowers and cards. Holy cow!_ My senses start to notice the hospital specific setting of it all. The smell of sterilization, the sound of the ventilator breathing for the comatose girl, and the medical equipment that tell me Yoohyeon’s body is still hanging in there. I feel my eyes water at seeing her face. The shrunken look to her face, how weakened she looks.

“Yoohyeon,” I mutter, pulling the only chair in the room next to her bed. “I’m gonna fix this.” My sentence gets slurred as I heavily yawn. My attention shifts to a nurse as she comes in to check on me and the K-pop idol. I ask the woman how her brain activity has been, curious if brain activity while comatose is more active when she’s in the dream world. The nurse does admit that she officially can’t tell you medical records, but does mention that every day, around the same span of time, Yoohyeon’s brain activity will spike. I ask her what times, and after realizing that her spikes are parallel to the times I would sleep… _her brain activity is reactive to my appearance in her dream world. I don’t really know what that means, but it might be good to know later on._

Yawning again, I thank the nurse before allowing myself to enter the dream world with my new knowledge. When I enter the dream universe, I go in search of the comatose girl’s orb, only to find the groups last member. _Siyeon._ I touch the orb without a second thought. As I’m pulled in, I focus on using this dream world to solve everything.

Arriving, I manage to keep myself upright this time. _The last few nightmares have quite literally thrown me into them. At least this time I caught myself._ Before I can start to look around, I hear this high-pitched grunting sound. I press my palms to my ears in the hopes of blocking the awful sound. I look around before deciding to walk straight forward. _No point in picking a direction. This is only so big of an area._ After several steps, I see a figure dart in front of me. A flash of dark hair causes me to look at her retreating form. _Siyeon._

Before I can run after her, the ground starts to shake as the high-pitched noise is drowned out by loud thumps. _What the hell?_ I look towards the place Siyeon ran from. My eyes widen in shock as a giant spider, several feet taller than me, rushes past me. _Did it look at me!?_ I frown, following after the creature. _So Siyeon’s all alone in this nightmare, chased by a giant spider. The high-pitched grunt seems familiar, but I don’t even know where I’d know it from. I’ll hear for a few seconds, and then it’s gone for a few seconds. It repeats nonstop._

After chasing Siyeon and the spider all over the dream world, I stop, taking a seat on the ground. _So, the spider just chases Siyeon. Nothing other than that noise is here. What does it mean? Maybe a visit to Yoohyeon will-_ My eyes widen. _Wait. I need to wake up._ I leave Siyeon’s dream world, appearing back in the dream universe. _Wake up. Come on. Wake up._

It isn’t until I feel a heavy touch on my shoulder that I pull myself awake. My senses return as I hear that sound from Siyeon’s dream, but it sounds like someone’s choking. I look at the cause of the noise, only to see several members of the hospital staff enter the room. My eyes meet the nurses beside me. She tries to get me to leave, but I push against her, staring at the comatose girl as she gasps. One of the staff pulls the tube free, allowing Yoohyeon to calm down. The staff look with sadness as the idol starts to breathe on her own.

“What’s this mean?” I ask, managing to pronunciation the Korean words so that they’re understood.

“When our coma patients breathe on their own…they most likely don’t make it past a few days at most.”

My attention turns back to Yoohyeon. _No. No this can’t be happening. I promised her that I’d fix this._ Frowning, I sit back down, taking the idol’s hand. I vaguely hear the staff mention that they’ve never seen me before, but that I seem to care a lot about their patient. I push the conversation from my head, focusing on Yoohyeon’s chest rise and fall. _I have to do something._ As I sit there, I feel myself get hit with jet lag. I lay my head on the bed next to the girl, allowing my mind to slip into the dream universe.


	8. Chapter 8

As soon as I’m back in the dream universe, I go after Yoohyeon’s orb. The search takes me longer than usual, prompting panic to settle in after a while. _Where is it? Oh no, what if-No, Alex. Just focus on finding it, not what not finding it means. You’re going to find it. Just keep searching._ Making a full circle, I spot the orb not far from me. My hand reaches out for it before I pulled awake by a hand on my shoulder.

Gasping, I sit up with a sudden jolt. I look around to see I’m in Yoohyeon’s hospital room. My whole body turns as I fear one of the nurses has woken me up to tell me something’s wrong. I barely glance at the six figures in the room before turning back to Yoohyeon’s form. When I see she’s still breathing on her own and the heart monitor shows she’s still alive.

“Thank goodness,” I mutter in English.

“Excuse me,” a voice says in fluent Korean. I look over at the familiar face, recognizing Jiu. She looks at me with confusion and…hesitancy?

“Ah, sorry,” I stand up, letting go of Yoohyeon’s hand. This prompts six pairs of eyes to notice that I was holding their friend’s hand.

“Who are you?” Sua asks, voice cold and untrusting.

I raise my hands, palms towards them. “I swear I’m just trying to help.” When they look at me in even more confusion and distrust, I launch into how I can enter people’s dreams and that I’ve been in contact with Yoohyeon, and that she’s alive for now, but her body is unable to keep up. They let me finish before talking.

Jiu and Sua angrily look at me. _Never thought I’d actually see them angry._ “You need to leave,” Jiu says as Siyeon comforts a sad Gahyeon.

“Please, wait,” I say, quickly thinking through ways to get them to believe me. When I speak, I look at each of them. “Jiu-unnie,” I say, hoping the honorific is correct. “You’ve been dreaming of a shadow monster. When it catches you, you see yourself and feel guilty over what happened to Yoohyeon.” I look at the shorter of the two. “Sua, you dream of your legs not working and Yoohyeon asking why you didn’t stop her. Siyeon, you’ve been chased by a giant spider.” I shiver at remember the creature just as Siyeon does the same. “That was not fun by the way.” I turn to Handong and Dami. “Dami, you’ve been trapped in a room that spiders come out of the walls. Handong, you run out of a closet to a hallway. At the end, Yoohyeon’s in a hospital bed. Just as she is here.” I look to the youngest and smile sadly. “Gahyeon, you have been dreaming of a room with telephones hanging on them. One rings and you find it after several phones are checked. Then there’s the sound of a heart monitor flat lining.” The six members look at me in shock. “Please. I just want to get Yoohyeon back here. Safely.”

Sua’s the one that speaks up. “You should go-”

“No,” Jiu interrupts. “I believe…”

“Alex,” I tell her.

“I believe, Alex. Only the six of us know what we’ve been dreaming. Not even our manager or the company knows. She’s telling us the truth,” the leader says, looking at me with nothing but trust.

“Thank you,” I tell her, letting my head drop as I feel the tears of relief force themselves from my eyes.

A pair of feet appear in front of me. I follow them to the owner’s face. Jiu smiles at me, carefully grabbing my hands. “What do you need from us?”

“I need the whole story in order. I know something about Yoohyeon killing a spider you saved and was going to release, but that’s all I know about how she ended up where she is.”

Nodding, Jiu launches into the real story. “We were filming our debut music video when I had found a spider that was in the house. I took a jar and captured it, hoping to release it outside on the way back here. It was pouring on the way back, so we took it home with us. While Handong, Dami, Sua, and I were on a show, Yoohyeon said she flushed it after it hadn’t moved.”

“Gahyeon and I saw Yoohyeon burn the spider with a magnifying glass,” Siyeon adds. “I told Jiu the truth.”

“Right,” Jiu says. “We then noticed Yoohyeon not…being herself. She seemed distracted, slower, and just generally weaker. We thought she hadn’t been eating enough, but it didn’t change when we helped cook meals for her. Doctors didn’t know what was wrong. It wasn’t until she collapsed on stage and went into her coma that we all started having these nightmares every night.”

Sua continues the story. “After that, we talked with each other and figured out the dreams meant something. The spider cursed all of us, confirmed when Siyeon and Dami experienced the spiders in their dreams.”

“So, the spider cursed you guys after Yoohyeon killed it,” I mutter, thoughts racing. _I need to get back into Dami’s or Siyeon’s dreams. That’s the only place the spiders have appeared._ Looking at the six girls, I nod. “When you all are asleep, I need to know so I can go back into your dreams. I have an idea.” _I’ll talk to the spider. If it really cursed Yoohyeon and the girls…then maybe it’ll notice and talk to me. Maybe make a deal._ “I think she’ll die if we don’t get her out of this coma.”

“What?” Siyeon says in shock.

I nod sadly. “The things from your dreams and her breathing on her own…I don’t think this coma is going to last much long, and she won’t just be waking up from it.”

“Alex,” Handong says, surprising me since she hasn’t said anything since. “Please help her.”

Nodding, I reach for her hand, squeezing it tightly. “I will do everything I can for her.”

The girls give me their numbers, creating a group chat. They mention having a radio show to host, so they leave after about an hour’s visit. I remain at the hospital, uncaring to go find a hotel. Keeping next to the comatose girl, I stare at the rise and fall of her chest, constantly needing the reassurance that she’s alive. _Please let this work._


	9. Chapter 9

After receiving the group text that the girls sent me, I try to get comfortable in the hospital chair. I end up asking a nurse for a pillow and blanket, using them to lay sideways in the seat. Curling up on the chair, I close my eyes, allowing myself to drift off into sleep. Slipping into the dream universe, I walk across the grassy field with intent. My feet take me to Dami’s dream world. I watch her dream, seeing the multiple spiders. _I don’t think this is gonna be where this spider is._ I turn away, finding Siyeon’s dream world. Once at the orb, I reach for it, falling into her dream.

Seeing the girl run past a group of trees, I rush to stand in the way of the giant spider. The ground shakes with the force of its legs hitting it. When I see it come into view, the spider stops in front of me, many eyes staring at my form. It lowers itself, face to my level.

“You should not be here,” it says, blinking at me.

I stare at the eyes directly in front of me, avoiding the others. “Yeah. I know,” I say, voice sounding more confident than I feel. “I want you to let Yoohyeon go. Stop the curse on the seven girls.”

The spider laughs. _It’s weird hearing a spider laugh and talk. Dreams man. “_ And what makes you think I’m going to do that?”

I frown. _Looks like a deal is gonna be made._ “I’ll make you a deal. What will be the equivalent?”

The spider lifts to its full height. “A life for a life,” it replies, leaning back to my height. “Are you willing to make the ultimate sacrifice?”

Staring at the spider, I feel my eyes water. _It’s telling me that I can either let Yoohyeon die…or let myself…_ I frown, wiping my eyes to prevent tears from falling. _I didn’t come all this way to fail her._ “Okay,” I say to the creature.

The spider chuckles. “Best wake up and say your goodbyes.” It forces me from the dream world, completely bypassing the dream universe, and sends me to wake up with a heavy gasp.

“Alex, are you okay?” Jiu’s voice reaches my auditory sense.

Nodding, I look at the leader, noticing she’s the only one there aside from Yoohyeon. “I’m fine. Thanks,” I reply, looking over at Yoohyeon. As I wait for her to wake up, I tell Jiu what happened. “I confronted the spider in Siyeon’s dream. We…made a deal to stop your nightmares and for Yoohyeon to wake up.” My eyes water, prompting Jiu to grab my shoulders and make me face her.

“What did you do, Alex?” She asks, voice full of concern.

I smile sadly, vision blurry. “It was the only way,” I mutter, looking away from the leader’s eyes. “I traded places.” My vision blurs at the admission. _Stop crying, Alex. You know what you agreed to when you said okay._ Only, my vision doesn’t just blur, but darkens too. I reach for Jiu as my knees give out. The leader catches my arms, preventing me from slamming into the ground. _My head feels foggy. Guess this is part of the deal I made._

“Alex?” She pulls me up, arms around me as she gets me out into the hallway. “Someone help!” She looks back at me after yelling. “Alex, no, no, no. Come on. Stay with me.”

Hearing Jiu’s frantic voice, I try to reach for her, but my arms won’t listen. “Unnie,” I mutter, catching her attention. “I-I’m sorry…It was…only way. Tell Yoohyeon…I’m sorry too. Please don’t let her…blame herself.” My vision goes out as I lose all senses. “I’m sorry,” I manage to mumble before everything goes blank.

When I wake up, I’m in a dark room with darkly colored walls. I look around me, seeing I’m lying on a hard surface. Nothing else is around me. I’m in the room, alone. Wait. “You,” I say to the spider that appears out of the wall. It’s smaller than in Siyeon’s dream world, but larger than the one in Dami’s.

“Welcome, Alex. This’ll be your cage until your body dies,” the spider says.

Nodding, I look at the ground below it. “Okay,” I mumble.

“You seem oddly accepting of this predicament,” the spider admits.

I look at the creature. “I knew what I agreed to when I said okay. All I cared about was bringing Yoohyeon back.”

“Why? She did nothing but cause trouble,” the spider replies.

“Yeah, she killed you in a pretty sucky way, but if I’m being honest, I’m not a fan of spiders so I’d probably have killed you too,” I shrug as the spider bristles at the admission. “She’s famous and makes a lot of people happy. I’ve lived a boring, mediocre life so it made sense to give up a life of boring idleness in place of someone who’s making people’s lives better.”

The spider walks backwards to the wall. “Enjoy your solitude. I have kept my word. Yoohyeon will be waking up soon and the other girls will no longer have nightmares about that time.”

“Thank you,” I reply as it disappears.

Staring at the wall, I let my tears fall. _I’m going to miss seeing Yoohyeon wake up. I know her group will be there in her support, but I hope she doesn’t blame herself._ Laying on the ground, I let my mind go blank, only thinking about breathing and how long this will last.


	10. Chapter 10

After Alex’s collapses and Jiu gets her help from the hospital staff, the leader is pulled back into Yoohyeon’s hospital room when the girl starts calling out for Alex. Jiu appears in Yoohyeon’s room to find her awake and looking much more alive than the leader’s seen since before the spider’s curse.

“Yoohyeon,” Jiu sighs in relief, tears falling down her cheeks. She rushes to the girl’s bed, pulling her into a tight hug.

“Unnie,” Yoohyeon says, hugging her friend back. “What…How did she do it? Alex saved me, didn’t she.”

Jiu pulls away, avoiding the other’s gaze. “She…She said she made a deal in exchange for all of us. The spider…she made a deal with the spider that if it stopped our nightmares and returned you…then she would let it take her instead.”

“What?” Yoohyeon looks at the leader with wide, horrified eyes. “She…Where is she, unnie? I need to see her.”

Looking at the younger girl, Jiu frowns. “I’m sorry, Yoohyeon. The staff…they took her to another room. She’s in the exact same state you were went you fell into your coma.”

“No,” Yoohyeon mutters, tears falling from her eyes. “Please, Jiu-unnie, let me go see her.”

Hesitantly, the leader nods. “Okay. Come here,” she says, helping the formerly comatose girl to stand. Yoohyeon’s a little shaky on her feet, but determination to see Alex keeps her standing.

The two walk several doors down into Alex’s room. Yoohyeon’s eyes, previous dry of tears, water again. She has Jiu help her to the lone chair in the room. Dropping into it, she grabs Alex’s hands, surprised at how cold they’ve already gotten. “You idiot,” she mutters, tears dripping onto the bed. “You said you’d help, and I was hopeful that you could bring me back…” She lets out a sob. “And you did, but you…why’d you trade your life for this, Alex?” Yoohyeon pulls the foreigner’s hand to her lips, pressing a light kiss on the palm. “I was looking forward to come back and getting to meet you here, Alex, in the real world.” She chuckles dryly. “You still look the same, but…” She trails off, momentarily thinking about Jiu behind her. Shaking her head, she stares at Alex’s face. “Now I won’t get the chance to tell you how I feel.”

“Yoohyeon,” Jiu whispers, shock in her tone.

“I’m sorry, unnie. I know we aren’t…I’ve spent so long without hope of getting out. I was alone until Alex found my dream world. She gave me the hope that I could come back…that I’d get to be a part of Dreamcatcher again.” Yoohyeon looks at her leader. “I…I love her. We might’ve just met, but I was drawn to her the moment she entered my dream.” She looks back at Alex. “I just wanted to be happy with her.

Jiu rests her hand on Yoohyeon’s shoulder, causing the girl to look at her. “It’s okay,” she smiles. “As long as you’re happy, I don’t think any of us would care who you date.”

Yoohyeon smiles sadly. “Thank you, unnie, but I don’t think we’ll-”

Stopping by choking, the two look at Alex, only to see her grab the breathing tube in her mouth and pull it out. Coughing, she has her eyes closed. When she opens them, she looks at Yoohyeon and Jiu, who stare at her with a mix of shock and relief. She looks around, looking at a hospital room, identical to the one she remembered Yoohyeon in.

“Uhm, I’m back?” Alex says, tilting her head sideways. “Wait.” Her eyes widen. “I’m back!”

Yoohyeon rushes to the girl, throwing her arms around her. She sobs into the dream walker’s chest. “You idiot! You shouldn’t have done that!”

Alex rubs the idol’s back in comfort. “I’m sorry, Yoohyeon. I…I only cared about getting you back here,” she says, voice lowering. “I…I didn’t think you…you felt the same.” Alex blushes.

A matching blush appears on Yoohyeon’s cheeks. The two stare at one another before the door to the room swings open, revealing five other members who want to see their returned member. Hugs are given, tears are shed, but no one would change a thing.

The leader of the group catches Alex’s eye while Yoohyeon is continuously smothered by the five other girls. Jiu sits on the chair next to Alex’s bed, looking at the foreigner. “How did you do it?” She asks, curiously smiling at her.

Alex smiles, eyes landing on Yoohyeon’s wide, happy smile. “I admitted to the spider how I felt about her. I guess it was listening to your conversation and heard Yoohyeon say the same. Then it appeared in front of me saying I was free to go. Right before I woke up, the spider said, ‘It’s about time you two figured it out.’ So yeah…I don’t really know what it was planning.”

Jiu pats the girl’s arm. “Well, I’m glad you’re both back safely.”

Alex smiles, seeing Sua try to give Yoohyeon a kiss on the cheek, only for the taller of the two to pull away, complaining that only Alex is allowed to kiss her. That puts everyone’s attention on Alex, who shrugs. Her eyes narrow, finger curling for Yoohyeon to come closer. When the taller Korean doesn’t say anything, only stares with her mouth open, the girls all burst into laughter, including Alex.

Things might’ve started out as a normal day for Alex, but by the end of her journey, she’s found herself a group of friends that’ll treat her like family.


End file.
